GARETH MACKIE

Kiltearn Partners, an Edinburgh-based investment manager, was today named as the fastest-growing medium-sized company in the UK.

The firm, founded in 2011 and chaired by chief investment officer Murdo Murchison, has recorded a 209 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for revenues over the past four years – far ahead of the 59 per cent average for the UK’s top 100 companies.

Financial services group Investec, which carried out the research based on filings at Companies House, said it was the first time that a Scottish company had topped its list, which only considers firms that have been profitable over the last four years, with turnover of at least £1m in year one and at least £10m in year four.

They were joined by Aberdeen’s Intercede (Scotland) at 43.4 per cent and Strathaven-based rail contractor QTS at 42.3 per cent.

Ed Cottrell, head of corporate lending at Investec, said: “The Mid-Market 100 has become an important measure of how this vital sector of the economy is performing.

“Growth is now spread across all regions and Scotland’s success in the current ranking, with some of the best-known names on the list, shows how important the country is to the broader UK economy. These fast-growing and innovative businesses are exactly the sort of companies we need to keep the economy expanding as the Brexit negotiations continue.”